NCJ Number
218274
Journal
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 51 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2007 Pages: 17-34
Date Published
March 2007
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined differences in college students' behaviors related to alcohol consumption (intensity and harmful consequences of alcohol use) in relation to ideological (beliefs and perspectives related to politics, religion, occupation, and philosophy of life) and interpersonal (behaviors, attitudes and adjustment in friendships, sex roles, dating, and leisure) identities.
Abstract
The study found that ideological identity had a greater impact on college students' drinking behaviors than interpersonal identity. Students who were less ideologically mature engaged in more alcohol-related behaviors with harmful consequences. These were students who lacked commitment to a unifying direction for their lives that stemmed from a stable philosophy of life rooted in religious or philosophical values and occupational interests being pursued through their college studies. Problem drinkers were more likely to lack a philosophy of life that governed the management of school demands in accordance with long-term goals. This suggests that helping students to establish a mature identity based in personal values and life goals is important in making constructive choices about the intensity and consequences of their drinking. A sample of 319 college students completed a series of questions on alcohol-related behavior, as well as the Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status, which assesses ideological and interpersonal commitments and crises. 2 tables and 37 references